The sins of the sexes: Men and women tread different paths to Hell, says the Vatican

A Vatican cleric says men struggle most with lust out of the seven deadly sins, while for women it's pride

For men, the main problem is lust - but for women it's a question of pride.

A Vatican cleric has outlined how the sexes struggle differently with the seven deadly sins.

Monsignor Wojciech Giertych used evidence from the confessional to compile his two lists.

He says that men's greatest weakness is lust, followed by gluttony, sloth and then anger. They are less likely to commit the sins of pride, envy and avarice.

But women most usually confess to sins of pride and envy, followed by anger. Lust is fourth on the list, followed by gluttony, avarice and sloth.

Monsignor Giertych made his observations in the Vatican's official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano under the headline: 'The unsuspecting resources of weakness.'

He wrote: 'When one looks at capital sins (the seven deadly sins), it is clear that men experience them differently from women.'

He admitted that his view was formed more on his own anecdotal experience of the confessional than scientifically based research.

But he argued that it was supported by an analysis of confessional data conducted by a 96-year- old Jesuit priest whose only previous claim to fame was a computerised study of the works of St Thomas Aquinas.

The seven deadly sins were drawn up by the early Christian church to instruct followers.

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that such mortal sins, which carry the threat of eternal damnation, can only be forgiven by confession and penance.

There is no reference to them in the Bible, but in the Middle Ages Pope Gregory I drew them into Catholic teachings.

Last year the Vatican suggested seven new deadly sins relevant to the modern age, listing genetic modification, human experimentations, polluting the environment, social injustice, causing poverty, financial gluttony and the taking or selling of drugs.

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The sins of the sexes: Men and women tread different paths to Hell, says the Vatican